My Duty to You
by Dreamer of Riddles
Summary: I have a duty to follow, as the Princess of Renais. Yet, at the same time, I have a love in my heart...[OneShot, EirikaSeth]


**_My Duty to You_**

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I just got Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, and so I happen to want to write a short ( and I mean short) one-shot about it.

WARNING: This contains support conversation A for the follow couple: Eirika and Seth. Beware for those of you who don't like this couple. Stay away if you don't. Please don't flame me. I'm not following the conversation word for word, so what you read here is not what is actually said in the game, although most of their conversation is from the game.

Read and enjoy! And, also, please read my other story, _The Scarred Heart: The Broken Road_, because it needs reviews… .

But read this and enjoy. Beware also: high fluff and sap content.

Also, beware implications of Neimi and Colm.

As long as you're bewaring all those things, beware the sheep.

One more thing before I start this: I'm testing out a new writing style that I like. I wanted to practice, and this seemed like a good time to try it. Please leave your comments about how you think I did.

Finally, I present to you, my one-shot.

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_**My Duty to You**_

It is a small, makeshift camp, placed in a secluded and unpopulated forest right on the border of enemy territory. Tall trees cast shadows across moist grass. The rays of moonlight filter through the canopy to create patches of pale light amongst the shade. The star-speckled sky stretches out above the camp, endless.

While we are inside the territory of their enemies, I, Princess Eirika of Renais, am not afraid. I am, on the contrary, feeling very safe. My most trusted companions are scouting the area for enemy soldiers. I trust them, and I am certain that the rest of the small camp trusts them as well.

A puff of wind came through the trees to play with my electric blue hair. I reach up, tucking it back behind my ear. The wind is persistent, and comes again to play with my hair and cloak. I smile softly, holding my hair in check again. The wind around here is gentle but steady.

"Colm? Umm…Ahh!" I hear a voice, and I turn. My blue eyes land on the shaken form of Neimi of Lark, a pink-haired archer with a sensitive emotional side. She stands before the slim figure of Colm, a thief, who holds his danger is his hand as if about to strike.

"Raise your sword, sneaky swine-! Neimi?" The thief is confused; before it clicks in his mind in a number of seconds I count in my head. "Oh! Neimi, it was just you! Not an enemy that wanted to kill me?"

I watch as Neimi begins to cry, her soft eyes swelling with tears that trickle down her cheek. I watch as Colm flushes, and places his hand upon her small shoulder. "I didn't mean to scare you, Neimi! Please, just stop crying!" He flusters, and I hide a laugh. "I know! How about we go look at the moon, okay? Just please stop crying!"

Neimi hiccups. "I-I'm sorry…I-I'm such a…c-crybaby…"

Colm looks distressed, and I see in his eyes that he thinks of a way to stop Neimi from crying. "Let's go watch the moon, Neimi, okay? It's so big…and…and _pretty_. It'll make you feel better, I swear it."

Neimi manages to get her breathing under control, and I notice her being to flush. "As long as you're there to look after me. I promise I won't cry any more." Colm hides a sigh of relief, and they walk out of sight, and I am alone. I stand, perfectly still in the shadow of a tree, and I wait for the scouts to return.

They return within the moment, brown horses with cavaliers riding atop. The older one pulls his reins and stops his horse before me. The younger stops behind the older. I smile at them. "Seth, Franz. How fare you?"

Seth, the older one, nods to me. "Lady Eirika." Franz, the younger one, tucks a lock of blonde hair out of his eyes, and he smiles happily. Seth keeps a gentle yet curt expression.

"We are fine, milady. The area is free of soldiers. I do not think any of them come this close to the border." Seth says, and I am relieved. We are safe for the night.

"Thank you." I tell them before, and dismiss Franz to care for his horse and sleep. He is young, and energetic, but even the most energetic need their sleep. I watch him go, thinking of his older brother Forde, who is just like him, only a bit more reckless and vocal.

I let Seth dismount, and begin to walk his horse away, back to his tent. He takes the tack of his horse, and I stand and watch from a short distance. Seth was strong, his medium build stocked with muscles. He was regal in the moonlight and in his armor.

The vision of my heart was shattered when he reached his right arm up to stroke his horse on the ear. A look of pain fills his eyes, but only for a second. It goes away quickly, but I see it all the same. He was hurt defending me when the Castle Renais fell that night a week ago, and his wound still affects him. It pains me to watch him in pain, but I do not move.

Finally, he speaks. "What bothers you, lady?"

I step closer, looking up a bit into his soft reddish-brown eyes. The wind plays with his short, straight red hair, but he does not try and stop it. I open my mouth to speak. "Seth, if it's not to much trouble, could you help me practice my swordplay a bit right now?" I ask.

He simply nods, finished his chore and gives his horse some oats in a feed sack, before taking hold of his iron-wrought lance. My heart skips as I walk beside him. I am happy he has agreed to help me practice, for I do not want to be injured on the battlefield due to a silly mistake. Following him, he leads me to a small clearing on the edge of camp.

I think about what I see when I look at him. I see a tall a strong man, built with muscles but not intimidating. His eyes are reddish brown and calm. I love his hair, so dark and so red, and yet so incredibly colorful at the same time. His pale skin, and his gentle cheekbone that leads to a commanding jaw. I see a paladin walking in dark grey, a color that fits him so well.

I think about what I hope he sees in me. I hope he sees a slender girl with electric blue hair that flows to her waist. I hope when he gazes up my red and gold attire, he sees a girl he would hold close, a girl he would claim as his own. I hope, with all my secret heart, that when he looks into my eyes, he does not care about my age, but sees my as a mature woman.

I look up away from my thoughts, and see we have reached the clearing.

"Do your stretches. Loosen up your muscles," Seth says, walking to one side of the clearing while I walk to the other. He begins to stretch, and I am about to start when I notice it again. As he reaches his arms up to loosen his muscles, that flash of pain comes across his face.

"Seth…how is your wound? Does it still pain you?" I ask, walking over to him quickly, worried. He looks down at me, and I see the memory of yesterday flash across his face.

It was morning, and we all wake from sleep and prepare for departure. Some, especially Colm, complain about leaving the comfortable inn at Serafew for darker and more dangerous places. My room is across from Seth's, and I come across the hall that morning to see how he is doing.

"_Seth?" I ask as I knock on the door. I hear the sound of watcher splashing._

"_Milady? Come in," he replies. I open the door, and see him standing before the mirror on the wall, a wet comb in his hair. He is dressed, except for his armor. I admit that he is handsome in his dark pants, dark gray shirt of wool, dark riding boots, and belt. His navy blue armor has been cleaned, and lies at the foot of his bed in a neat pile._

"_How fare you this morning? The battle yesterday was a difficult one," I ask. He smiles. _

"_I am fine, Princess Eirika. I thank you for your concern," he says, running the wet comb through his hair. He raises his arm higher to reach the hair on the back of his head, and the pain comes again._

"_Seth, does your wound hurt?" I ask. He shakes his head. _

"_Not at all. It has healed, and does not bother me," he tells me, but I know he lies, so I tell him so._

"_You lie, Seth. I can see in your eyes that it pains you. Please, let me tend to it," I tell him, and he turns to face me. I point to the bed._

"_Milady, I-" he begins, but I cut him off._

"_Sit, Seth. Show me your wound," I say, closing the door as I walk farther into the room. He hesitates, but does not disobey an order from royalty. He sits, and tugs the hem of his shirt out of his belt, lifting the right side to show me the barely healed scar of a painful lance wound. The scar stretches from his hip, up to the middle of his ribs._

"_It does not hurt at all, and it has healed," he says quickly, as if to quell my worries. It does not work._

"_Every time you raise you arm high, it stretches torn muscles and hurts you. Of course it has not healed," I say firmly, reaching out to touch it gently with the tips of my fingers. He does not flinch, but he stiffens. His skin is warm._

"_Milady, it is nothing you need to concern yourself with. Please do not worry," he begs. I sit on bed next to him._

"_I'm afraid that as long as I lead this battalion, everything is my concern. Besides that, you are…very important. If you were to be wounded again to the point where you could not fight, or even to have this one infect you further, everyone would lose hope. I would lose hope." I tell him, flushing slightly. _

_He simply looks at me, and I look at him. He drops the hem of his shirt, and I hang my head. "I'm sorry if…I sounded…strange. I only mean that your safety and health are important to me," I rush to finish my sentence when I realize what I had been imply in respect to my feelings for him, "as is the health and safety of everyone in Magval, but you are important."_

_Seth watches me as I speak, watching my face flush. I could only imagine how stupid I must have sounded. I do not notice how close our faces have drawn together until I look up. My breath catches in my throat when I see the look in his eyes. He looks rather…like a different Seth. Something is missing from his eyes, and I cannot tell what, but there is also something else there. A sweet, protective, compassionate look._

_When his kisses me, my skin tingles with a warmth. I remember how I felt the night he carried my away from Castle Renais, protecting me from the armies and the siege. For a few seconds, it is just he and I, and no one else in the world existed. My mind is blank, and I feel something extraordinary, light, and warm swell inside me._

_It seems like millions of years, but it only lasts a second. He jerked away, a betrayed look in his eye. He has betrayed himself. I watch, a bit shocked and disappointed, as he strides out of the room quickly without looking at me, without saying anything. I do not know where he is going, but I wish he would come back. I know he must return here, because his things are still here, so I hurry and rush to me own room to finish getting ready. I do not want to face him if it makes him uncomfortable._

When I saw him next, he acted and looked as if nothing happened. I know that it was wrong of him to kiss me, although I did care about him. He is much older than I am. I am but a youth, a teen. He is a man, and he is young, still older than I am.

_He pretends like nothing happened, and I act the same as he._

As I look at him, I too remember yesterday. A faint flush spreads across my face. He continues to look down at me, a debate going on in his mind. Finally, he steps away from me, takes a deep breath, squares himself, and speaks.

"Before we begin, Princess," he beings, ignoring my question about his wound, "There is something that I must say to you first. "

I step back from him, and prepare to listen. He continues. "Forgive me for my rudeness…. Lately, you have been too close to me. It is improper for a lady of your status to be with a servant like me."

My brows furrow. I know what he means, so I tell him my reason. My excuse. "But, Seth…your wound…it has not healed…and I was…I am just…" I struggle to form words. There is a sickening feeling in my stomach.

"Milady, I am a Knight of Renais. I am your servant. You cannot be a ruler if you favor one servant over another. You may have to forgo this to fight this war. If you cannot send a man off to die, you will never be queen," he tells me. I understand his means.

I do not want to say the words that roll of my dry lips, but I do. "You are correct. I am queen, and you are a knight in my service. It would not be right for a queen, and I must be strong if I wish to restore Renais from ruin," I tell him, and he seems relieved that I understand.

He opens his mouth and speaks. "I am relieved that you understand."

I spend the time that he is speaking gathering my thoughts. I must be true with him, and tell him what I feel right now. Or…what I did feel. "Seth," he looks at me and listens. "That night, when Renais feel under siege and you saved my life," I take a breath, then continue. "I remember how I felt when you held me tight, protecting me from the enemies blades. I felt something more for you then, and it has lingered. I felt so safe in your arms. I miss that feeling."

He is at a loss for words. "Princess…"

I look away. I cannot face him. "We will not practice tonight. I'm sorry for bothering you about it." He nods.

I stand there, looking distantly at the ground, and he turns to leave. Before he does, he stops, and thinks. He turns about to face my figure again. "Princess Eirika, if I may say one more thing."

I look up, and become trapped in his eyes. They are kind. "I must tell you. That night when Renais fell, as I held you in my arms as we road into the night, I felt something more for you. It was the first time since I was knighted that I forgot my duty. I no longer looked at you as a princess, but rather someone that I wanted to protect from all harm. I wished to disobey my orders to take you to Frelia, and instead take you somewhere far away where we could be together."

This revelation shakes me. I take a breath to say something, but I can't say much. "Seth…"

"I apologize for all my outlandish thoughts, and I swear to you that from this day forth that I will never again forget my duty to Renais. The next time I face you, it will be as a Knight of Renais," he says.

Seth walks away, and I continue to stand there. I am confused. My feelings are confusing me. I am torn between duty and my feelings. I know that my duty…is to my duty. When you are a princess, you cannot get lost in foolish romances and forget that your people need you. This I know.

Yet, Seth had always been there, but for my family but also for Renais. He is General, and my father's most trusted friend. He was there when I was young, and he was younger. He helped my brother with his combat training when my brother's usual instructor could not come, and he would read in the library with me in his free time. We never said anything, but just sat a read together.

"Could…you ever feel that way for me again, Seth?" I wonder aloud even though I know he cannot hear me. I stand for a few more moments to collect myself, before walking back to my tent.

Later that night, in the silence where only the crickets make noise, I lie awake, staring at the ceiling of the tent. I cannot sleep. I think about Seth, his words, and his face. I think about the only kiss we had.

I realize in my thoughts that he is indeed right. I must be a queen for Renais, and for the people. Once day I will become queen, and I will need to rule with a fair hand. I cannot send Seth into battle if I love him. I would hold him back, and be foolish and vain.

But in that same time, I will need a husband. I will want someone to love me, and to lie beside me a night. Renais will need heirs to the throne, and that heir will want a father. I want to be a mother someday, and when the day comes that I am to marry, I might not be able to turn to Seth. What he means in true. Royalty has duty to royalty.

I cry, but I do not cry for myself. I cry with pity for the girl I will one day be.

I stop crying before I fall into sleep. I know I am being foolish and vain to cry over what is true and unchangeable. Duty and vows are an unquestionable force that have always been here, and will always be here.

I speak these words over and over again. "They are always here, they are always here…"

"They are always here, so I shall honor them. We will fight, and we will win. Until the day comes where we might be together somewhere, I shall fight for the people," I mumble in my drowsiness.

I will fight for the people, and for you. Maybe now is not the time for foolish romances. But, maybe tomorrow is. Maybe next year will be a good time for romance. Maybe in three years.

I will have a soldiers patience, and I will wait. I will honor duty and I will fight for my kingdom. I will fight for the love I hope to have one day.

I think of Seth, and I smile. "That will be…my duty to you…"

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Okay! All done! That was kinda short and…not never good, but I don't want to change it, really. I don't want to put Seth and Eirika together, because I don't know if they get together at the end of the game. I haven't beaten it yet. .

I realize that I'm being rather vague here, but I mostly want to concentrate on the romance and the feelings instead of the storyline. If you wanna know the story, play the game, why don't ya.

As stated before, not everything said between Eirika and Seth was a support conversation, and not all of it was word for word. If you want the unchanged-and-unremembered-by-me version, then I suggest you get playing Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, and get supporting.

It only took me five chapters to get level A. It's not that hard.

Well, thanks to all that review! Love you all, and never stop writing (or reviewing)!

Till next time,

_Becca_


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